Chapter 395 Even If We Drive Into the Sea
Gabriel: [Got a doc appointment for a check-up tomorrow.]
After more than a month, Jessica got a WhatsApp ping from Gabriel while she was in the makeup room on set, looking all beat up and bruised thanks to the makeup.
Her pale fingers hovered over the phone screen, staring at Gabriel's name for a hot second without moving.
Since she bailed from his place that day, she hadn't gone back, and he hadn't hit her up either. Only Sarah would occasionally call to give her the lowdown on Gabriel's recovery.
Sarah was pretty shocked when she found out Mr. Harriman was still in touch with Jessica and got super anxious when she heard about Gabriel's bad injuries. But Gabriel had warned her not to spill the beans to Michael. So, she just made up excuses to swing by Blue Bay Apartments every day, pretending to buy groceries and not asking too many questions.
But Sarah's tone on the phone with Jessica stayed as sweet and gentle as ever. She didn't ask why Jessica ghosted back then, nor did she pry into how Jessica had been these past two years. She just dutifully reported on Gabriel's recovery without saying a word off-topic.
A few days ago, Jessica found out Gabriel was healing up well, which took a load off her mind.
But why was he telling her about the check-up? If he didn't bring it up, she could pretend it was all behind her. Now, she couldn't dodge it. Her pale, blood-streaked fingers tapped on the phone screen as she typed.
Jessica: [You can go for a check-up already? Looks like you're bouncing back fast. Sarah's taking good care of you.]
Gabriel: [Aren't you gonna come with me for the check-up?]
Jessica: [You're a grown man, it's just a check-up, not surgery. Why do you need someone to tag along? Besides, Landon and Wayne can drive. Why me?]
Gabriel: [Ms. Jessica, you gotta see things through to the end.]
Even through the screen, with just a few words, she could almost hear Gabriel's self-righteous, lecturing tone.
Jessica: [I got a ton of scenes to shoot tomorrow. How can I find the time?]
No matter how much Jessica griped about the whole "seeing things through to the end" thing, Gabriel didn't reply. She didn't know if he was busy or just done playing word games with her.
He was acting like the arrogant Mr. Harriman, ordering her to tag along for the follow-up without giving her a chance to say no.
Jessica's next scene was about to start. She handed her phone to Zoey. Forty minutes later, after wrapping up the scene, she checked her phone again. Gabriel still hadn't replied.
She stared at the words "seeing things through to the end" and angrily tapped on the phone screen: [I really have to shoot tomorrow!]
Still no reply.
In her mind, she could almost hear a few cold words: "Up to you."
And on her forehead, she could almost feel the mocking words: "Heartless person."
Jessica angrily bared her teeth at the unresponsive man on WhatsApp, then tossed her phone back to Zoey and went to change her costume.
The shoot dragged on till evening. Jessica was still racking her brain on how to ask the director for some time off but couldn't come up with a solid excuse.
She couldn't lie about going out of town for a promo gig.
She couldn't fake being sick.
Everyone was so swamped that getting a day off without a legit reason was a no-go. If she took leave, it would mess up the schedule for the other staff and actors who had to coordinate with her.
While she was still stressing, Lynn strolled over from the director's side and said, "Molly Green, who was supposed to shoot a scene with you tomorrow morning, got hit with a stomach flu and took leave. Your scenes for tomorrow morning are pushed back a few days. You can come in the afternoon. You haven't been resting well lately, so catch some extra Z's at home."
Jessica's eyes lit up. "For real?"
Seeing Jessica's relieved expression, Lynn gave her a look: "What? You got something going on tomorrow morning? Fits your plans?"
Jessica quickly composed herself and smiled, "Just some personal stuff to handle. What's the latest I need to be on set tomorrow?"
Lynn took the schedule from Zoey and glanced at it: "By 1:30 PM."
Perfect timing.
The next day, at Blue Bay Apartments.
Jessica stayed in the underground parking lot instead of going upstairs.
When Gabriel emerged from the elevator, she honked the car horn to signal her location.
It was almost winter, and Gabriel, probably because he had just come from home and she had come to pick him up, wasn't wearing a coat. He wore a casual gray knit sweater and comfy pants. As he walked towards her car, his steps were slow and steady, exuding a sense of calm and indifference.
Gabriel got into the car and sat in the passenger seat. Jessica glanced at him, then at his car parked nearby, hesitantly asked, "You're riding in my car?"
Gabriel looked at her, his clear eyes seemingly burning with an inexplicable intensity.
"What else?"
"I thought you just wanted me to drive you to the hospital. I was hoping to get a taste of driving a Bentley." Jessica pouted.
Gabriel's eyes held a faint smile: "You can drive it."
"Forget it. If you don't mind riding in my old Audi, I won't bother. Even though I'd like to drive your car, I'm not used to it. If I scratch it, I'll have to pay for it." Jessica started the car.
"If you like it, drive it. Even if you drive it into the ocean, you won't have to pay."
Jessica snorted. "My driving skills aren't that bad. Drive into the ocean? Are you mocking me? I'm not a newbie driver!"
She had been driving this little Audi for years. Although she had earned enough money in the past two years to buy a better car, she was too lazy to change it. She was used to it, and it was low-key, making it easy to blend in with traffic and avoid media attention. So she never considered changing cars.
Jessica drove out of the Blue Bay Apartments underground parking lot and glanced at Gabriel to see if he had fastened his seatbelt. She accidentally met Gabriel's gaze.
